Fire-extinguisher



(No Model.)

W. M. LE MOYNE. FIRE EXTINGUISHER.

Patented Oct. 13,1885.

Jan/Ishtar Jrr azm: 75 v N. PETERS. PhuloL'flhor-phar, Wuhington. a C.

cago,

UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. LE MOYNE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,319, dated October13, 1885. Application filed May 25, 1885. Serial No. 166,636. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. LE MOYNE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohiin the county of Cook and State of Illiois, have inventeda new and useful Improve- ;ent in Fire-Extinguishers, of which thefolwing is a specification.

My invention consists in an automatic fire- ;tinguisher to be put intobuildings, vessels, ars, mines, 8m, in such a way as to be afected byheat and explode automatically when the temperature reaches a certainpoint, this explosion being caused by the inside pressure or expansionoccasioned by outside heat, and ermitting the expansible extinguishinggases fumes formed or released thereby to escape -to or onto the fire.

.n the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is elevation of one of myreceptacles formed from a short piece of frangible metallic tubing; Fig.2, asectional view thereof taken in line no a, and Fig. 3 a sectionalmodification thereof.

A represents a section or piece of tubing; 13, the soldered endsthereof, and O a wire loop or hanger.

The vessels or receptacles containing the extinguishing gas or materialshould be frangible, at least in some one place, and may be made ofmetal, glass, or any other substance capable of easy stance whose pointof frangibility can be readily and reliably determined. Any number ofthese receptacles may be put into a room,suspended from the sidesorwalls, or otherwise, and more preferably at least for dwellinghouses.They may be put into the partitionwalls, and thus concealed from viewand protected from molestation, while the house is being built.

As above suggested, the vessels or receptacles themselves may be made ofany size, form, or material desired; but I prefer short sections offrangible tubing, the ends being closed by fusible joints or otherwisein such a way as to securely confine the contents until an explosion iscaused by expansion thereof occasioned by extraneous heat. In thedrawings I have shown a short piece or section of a frangible metallictube, say about an inch in diameter and three inches in length,havfraoture, and I prefer a subing its sides at each end compressed andsoldered or otherwise hermetically sealed and fastened together. Thewhole or any part of the receptacle may be coated or enameled on theinside with wax or other non-corrosive substances.

The extinguishing material may consist of any suitable gas, liquid orsolid, which will expand and operate as an extinguishing gas or fumesupon heating and explosion; but I consider carbonic-acid gas,ammonia-gas compressed to a liquid, or any ordinary powder whose fumesabsorb oxygen to be practical and useful for extinguishing purposes.These gases or materials may be used separately or in combination withothers, as found desirable.

In operation my automatic extinguisher will be readily affected by heatwhenever a fire breaks out in the structure containing them, and theextinguishing gas or material, expanding by reason of the outside heat,will cause them to burst or explode as soon as their point offrangibility is reached, thus allowing the extinguishing-gases soreleased or formed to permeate the building, room, or space containingthe fire to automatically extinguish the same.

My invention is intended, primarily, for the putting out of fires intheir incipient stages; but of course my extinguishers will be founduseful whenever exploded, even if this should not be until after thefire has gained great headway.

My automatic extinguishers can be manufactured and put in veryeconomically, and so it will only cost afew dollars to provide anordinary house, ship, car, or other building with a sufficient number toafford ample protection.

My invention differs from other fire-extinguishers now in use,particularly in these respects, that the inside pressure or expansioncaused by the outside heat operates automatically to liberate and applythe extinguishing gas or fumes and, being automatic, my extinguishersare not required to be in any way handled in their use or application,and, especially, when put in walls as the structure is being built,willbe protected against displacement, accidents, or carelessness, andtherefore be ject of frangibility in the vessels -ceptaclesas,

more lasting and reliable than the ordinary grenades and otherfire-extinguishers now in use.

It will of course be understood that the obis simply to permit theirbursting when subjected to the inside pressure or expansion caused byoutside heat,and thus to allow the extinguishing gases or fumes toescape; and this object being fully accomplished by frangibility at anypoint I of course do not in using this term mean that the vessels shallbe frangibleat all points, or necessarily at more than some one place.Nor do I wish to be understood when using the term expansible withreference to my extinguishing gas or material as meani ng that-suchmaterial itself must necessarily be expansible, butsimply that in someof its parts or properties it contain sufficient expansibility toaccomplish the object in view-as in the case, for instance, of theexpanding fumes formed or produced by-the explosion of powder. Nor haveI intended touse the term gas in its technical sense, but in its use-Ialso mean any substance or material from which a gas or fumes proper forextinguishing purposes may be produced by heat.

The essential idea of my invention being the making of an automaticfire-extinguisher consisting of a frangible vessel or receptaclecontaining an expansible extinguishing gas or material, these termsmeaning as above, I do not wish to be understood as in any wise limitingmyself to special forms or details of construction; but I disclaim theuse of any means outside of the extinguishing-gases themselves, ormaterial for producing them, for. exploding or to aid in exploding therefor instance, gunpowder-it being my intention, as already stated, thatthe inside pressure or expansion of such gases or material caused by theoutside heat shall alone perform this office. Nor do I contemplate thatthe fusible solder used for sealing the ends of the receptacles shallnecessarily operate for this purpose, inasmuch as the receptaclesthemselves may be frangible at any other point.

I do not now claim the process of-extinguishing fires above described,the same being the subject of another application filed May 29, 1885.

I claim- 1. As a new article of manufacture, an automaticfire-extinguisher comprising a closed frangible vessel or receptaclecontaining an expansible extinguishing-gas or material for producingsuch a gas or fumes, such vessel or receptacle depending for itsfracture and the liberation of its contents upon the expansion of thelatter when affected by extraneous heat, substantially as described.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an automatic fire-extinguishercomprising a closed frangible vessel or receptacle containing anexpansible extinguishinggas or material for producing such a gas orfumes, such vessel or receptacle depending for its fracture and theliberation of its contents upon the expansion of the latter whenaffected by extraneous heat of a certain specified point or degree, substantially as described.

3. As a new article of manufacture, an automatic fire-extinguishercomprising a frangible vessel or receptacle formed from the sec tion ofa tube hermetically sealed at both ends, containingan expansibleextinguishing-gas or material for producing such a gas or fumes, suchvessel or. receptacle depending for its fracture and the liberation ofits contents upon the expansion of the latter when affected by heat,substantially as described.

WILLIAM M. LE MOYN E. Witnesses:

EPHRAIM BANNING, MAsoN BRoss.

